Another Day
by Cyrus-Oz
Summary: Fould Language>>> Gambrel is out, the X-Men are looking frantically for her but Oz, yes, OZ, finds her first and together they take off. But soon after leaving together, Oz tells Gambrel something of great...importance? Does Gambrel want to know this? R
1. Default Chapter

Prologue 

    He ran through the back allies of the slumbering city. His clothes were tattered, torn and bloody from the fight he just barely won. The police sirens were ripping the nighttime air to shreds, and through the rifts of shrills one could hear the dying screams of a mother who lost her only son to an unknown murderer.

    He made it to his apartment where his twin sister slept. He slipped into the bathroom, peeled off the bloody attire and showered quickly. He redressed and fled the apartment slamming the door after him. She awoke with a start and looked around. The bathroom light was on.

    "Tommy?" she asked, getting up. She walked into the bathroom and found the clothes. "Oh, no," she whispered.

    Minutes later the police were running down the apartment halls. They pounded on her front door then barged in.

    "Tommy Hyde you are under arrest!" one officer shouted.

    The girl walked out of the bathroom wearing her brother's clothes. Her once long hair was cut in uneven wisps that fell over her shoulders and face. She nodded and crawled to the ground where they tackled her, cuffed her and dragged her off.

    Tommy watched from a shadow as the officers pulled his sister out of the apartment building and threw her into a squad car. She looked out the window and he stepped into the light shaking his head. She glared at him and would have flicked him off had her hand not been cuffed behind her back.


	2. Found Goddaughter

Disclaimer withstanding, I own nothing of the X-Men. Read and Review pretty please. One 

    "I don't understand why you keep coming here."

    "Because I know you Gambrel, and I know that you did not kill that man."

    "You're wrong, you don't know me." Shook her head, her silver eyes scanned the room spotting three cameras and a tape-recorded.

    "But you didn't kill him. You never admitted to it-"

    "Yeah and I never denied it!" she shouted.

    He leaned back and sighed. "If you didn't do it why didn't you say anything in court?"

    She rested her head on her hand and starred out the window. "You know people are so afraid of me, that they keep me in my cell all day and all night and I don't have any cell mates, I have my own toilet, shower and sink? Did you know that? Of course you did."

    He looked over at her narrowing his eyes.

    "Don't brain pick Professor Xavier," she sighed. "It's not very nice."

    He sighed again. "Then tell me you did, look me in the eye and tell me that you killed Charlie McGaffey."

    She shook her head. "No,"

    "Then you deny killing him?"

    "No."

    "Then you killed him?"

    "No."

    "Gambrel, I cannot help you if you keep pushing me away."

    She jumped up out of her chair. "Who said I ever wanted your help in the first place Professor! You are so keen on helping mutants but ask yourself this…" she looked out the window again. "Do they all want to be helped?"

    An officer walked into the cell and wheeled the Professor out. When the bar door closed he looked over his shoulder back at her.

    "You have prayers that want to be answered, I can help you answer them."

    She looked away and he left. After a moment she turned to the window and looked out. Professor Xavier was being helped into a van by Scott Summers. The Professor looked up at her window, waved and climbed back inside. Scott looked up at her; she flicked him off and turned back inside.

    "Aww, Poor bitch lonely?" 

    Gambrel slammed up against the bar door scaring the taunting woman away a few feet.

    "You ain't ever getting out of there sugar."

    "Sugar my ass!" Gambrel hissed. "When I get out, the first thing I'll do is-"

    "Get back into your own cell!" a officer shouted at the black woman standing outside Gambrel's cell. She looked over at him then walked off laughing at Gambrel.

    Another officer walked down the hall handing out mail and packages. He slid a large package into Gambrel's cell, followed by a smaller one. She jumped down from her bunk and put them on her desk. She opened the smaller one first. Inside was a short letter asking for forgiveness. There was also a rose blossom and a good luck charm from Japan.

    "The same old Tommy." She muttered and taped the charm to the wall with the rest of her charms. She then turned to the larger package and opened it. 

    Inside was a round canister full of brownies, some bottled water and three books. _Coyote Blue_ by Christopher Moore, _Breaking Rank_ by Kristen D. Randle and _Under Fire_ By Web Griffin. She looked into the package one more time and found a letter at the bottom.

    _Gambrel:_

_        I know you are innocent, why won't you tell me? Like I told you, you have prayers and they need to be answered and I'll gladly do all within my power to help you find the answer. Just give me a chance. _

_    Enclosed there are some of Jean's brownies and some books I thought you would like. Did you like _Moonchildren _by Andrew Matthews? _

_    I know your sentence is for life, but I hope that something will happen and you'll be free again._

                          Professor X 

    "Be free again," she muttered. "Yeah, I've been locked up for three years now." She shook her head and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil.

    _Professor:_

_        Thank you for the books and the rest of it, but I am not going to talk about it, the point of the matter is that I am in here with a life sentence. Here are some lyrics to a song I heard, I liked them, and I think you would too:_

_This Time Imperfect by AFI_

_I cannot leave here I cannot stay_

_Forever haunted more than afraid_

_Asphyxiated on words I would say_

_I'm drawn to a blackened sky, as I turn blue_

_There are no flowers, no not this time_

_There will be no angels gracing the lines_

_Just these stark words I find_

_I'd show a smile but I'm too weak_

_I'd share with you could I only speak_

_Just how much this hurts me_

_I cannot stay here I cannot leave_

_Just like all I loved I'm make-believe_

_Imagined heart, I disappear seems_

_No one will appear here and make me real._

_There are not flowers, no not this time_

_There'll be no angels gracing the lines_

_Just these stark words I find_

_I'd show a smile but I'm too weak_

_I'd share with you could I only speak_

_Just how much this hurts me_

_I'd tell you how it haunts me [cuts through my day and sinks into my dream]_

_You don't care that it haunts me_

_There are no flowers no not this time_

_There'll be no angels gracing the lines_

_Just these stark words I find _

_I'd show a smile but I'm too weak_

_I'd share with you could I only speak_

_Just how much this hurts me_

_Just how much this hurts me_

_Just how much you…_

                          Gambrel 

    She handed the letter to a passing officer and picked up _Breaking Rank_ she crawled on top of her bunk and began to read.

*** ***    ***    ***

    "I know she's innocent, the question is how can we prove it." Professor sighed.

    "It sounds as if she doesn't want to be saved." Scott said. "I mean, she doesn't talk to you, she flicks me off, it sounds like she wants to stay in there."  
    "It might seems that way Scott, but if you saw her, if you talked to her," he shook his head. "It just doesn't make sense, she didn't kill him-"

    "How do you know?" Logan asked.

    "Because I knew her when she was growing up, she wouldn't hurt a fly as the saying goes. She grew up with her father and brother, her mother died when she was born, and when she was thirteen her father died. Her brother Tommy took her to a warehouse where they lived, he gambled on the streets after their house was sold out to pay off their father's debts. They social workers tried to get them, but they slipped away before they could be separated. When Tommy got enough money he rented an apartment then he began to get jobs so they could keep the apartment." He rubbed his eyes.

    "It's late Professor," Jean cooed. "Why don't you go to sleep, we can talk about this in the morning."

    "Yes," He nodded and she wheeled him off.

    Scott sat there glaring up at Logan who was looking after Jean. After she disappeared from view Logan turned to leave.

    "You know you'll never have a chance with her."

    Logan stopped but didn't turn. "Oh? Is that what you think?"

    "She's my wife Logan, stay away from her."

    Logan grunted and left the room. he headed upstairs into his room and pulled out a sheet of paper.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***

    "Mail Call!" the officer declared and handed out letters.

    Gambrel slept on her bunk, but even in her deep slumber she could fell the envelope flutter in from the bars and land on her arm. She opened an eye and starred at it.

    The handwriting was no more then chicken scratch and the stamp was upside down. She closed her eyes, yawned and sat up. She ripped the letter opened and removed the paper.

    How come you never told me you were thrown in jail Gambrel? Why didn't you call me? Write to me or anything else like that? Why didn't you contact me? Write back to me right now Gambrel and explain yourself!

                      Logan 

    Gambrel laughed outright and jumped off her bunk. She quickly grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down a quick letter. She addressed it and handed it to an officer.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***

    "She can't use that against me!" Logan shouted the next day when he read her letter.

    Rouge came running into his room. "Are you alright?" she asked. "Why were you shouting?"

    Logan looked over his shoulder at her then back down at the letter. "Nothing kid, I'm fine."

    "What are you doing?"

    "Aren't you supposed to be in class kid?"

    "School's out for the day."

    Logan nodded and tossed her the letter.

    "One: you were nowhere to be found and two: You have amnesia, do you really remember who I am?"  Rogue looked up at Logan. "Who is this person?"

    Logan leaned over chair staring out the window into the warm afternoon. "She's Gambrel." 

    "Who's Gambrel?"

    "She's…" he looked down. "She's my goddaughter."


	3. Stubborn Releases

Two 

    "Watchoo' smiling bout sugar?"

    Gambrel smiled. "Bless you."

    "Cuse' me?"

    "You sneezed, I said bless you."

    The woman slammed her hands on the bars in an attempt to scare Gambrel, but Gambrel took the opportunity to grabbed the woman's hands, pull them through the bars and proceed to break her fingers one by one, then her wrists before an officer slammed his baton on the bars and Gambrel let the woman's hands go with a huge grin on her face.

    The officer shook his head disapprovingly at Gambrel but did nothing but shove the woman back into her cell.

    Gambrel nodded and went behind the five-foot wall to take her shower. After she toweled off she searched her laundry bag and pulled on the clothes. She was brushing out her hair when the cell doors opened. 

    "I already told you Professor Xavier, I am not going to talk about my innocence or guilt."

    "I'm not here to discuss that." A deeper voice said.

    She spun around and gasped in shock to see Logan standing there with his arms folded across his chest.

    "Why didn't you contact me kid?" he demanded.

    Gambrel collected herself then smiled. "I already told you daddy dearest."

    "You cannot hold that against me-"?

    "WHY NOT?" she screamed. "YOU VOLUNTEERED FOR THE OPERATION, IT WAS YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT YOU GOT THAT AMNESIA AND FORGOT ABOUT US!"

    "I didn't know-"

    "BULLSHIT LOGAN!" she threw her brush at him but he blocked it. "You left us for that damn Stryker man, and you don't even remember it. do you remember who I am? Do you remember what my powers are? Do you remember anything about me besides that I am your goddaughter and even at that how much do you remember Logan?" she narrowed her eyes and took a step toward him. "How much?"

    Logan glared down at her. "I remember you are only twenty one, I remember that you would never hurt anything, I remember Tommy is your brother-"

    Gambrel turned away lowering her head.

    "Where is Tommy anyway? Does he come and visit you?"

    "He's somewhere in Japan." She said tonelessly. 

    "And I remember perfectly well that I am your Godfather and I am furious to know that you are in here and I had no clue about it."

    Gambrel rubbed her eyes. "Look Logan, if it helps then I'll tell you. Hey! Godfather! I am in jail on the charges of murder. There are you happy?"

    "What is this hate?" Logan asked.

    She turned to him, her tears torn into her cheeks. "Three years! Three years I have been here, three year I haven't breathed fresh air, three years I haven't stood in the sun and three years I haven't cried. And it's been what? Fifteen years since I last you? I WAS SIX THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU!" she slapped Logan and shook her head. "You are nothing to me anymore Logan, you are not my godfather, you have been gone for so long, I have heard a lot about you though, Professor Xavier first told me about you about a year and a half ago back, when you and some girl name Rogue came to him. You became and X-man… woo-hoo, good for you. You get pissed at me for not telling you, well how could I Logan? I never knew where you were and you had been gone for so long, I almost cried when I found out Saber tooth didn't kill you on that liberty statue."

    Logan took a deep breath trying to clam himself down.

    "I heard that Rogue chick is taken with you and you are taken with Jean Grey and you protected Rogue on during the Liberty Island incident like you should have been protecting, oh I don't know, your godchildren for example?" she raised her eyebrows then spat at him. "I am not saying that this," she raised her arms. "Is all your fault, no, it is my fault, my decisions, my choices. I choose to protect and you chose what? To get claws and no memory?" she looked at the officer and nodded he opened the door and took Logan's arm.

    "Wait, what do you mean you chose to protect?"

    "I guess you'll never know huh?" she turned her back and the officer pulled Logan out of the cell and locked the doors shut again.

    Logan sighed heavily and let the officer lead him back to the main foyer of the prison. As he left the building to the motorcycle, Gambrel watched him from her window. He looked up at her and shook his head. She took the rose blossom she got from Tommy and threw it out the window and as it descended toward him, the wind ripped it apart, petal by petal and took it away.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***

    "Scott was right this time Professor, she doesn't want to be out of there."

    Scott starred at Logan. "You are agreeing with me?"

    "Miracles do exist." Jean smiled. 

    Logan shook his head. "I went to talk to her, and she said she made hr choice and she chose to protect somebody, but what does that mean?"

    "Maybe," the Professor smiled. "She is in there because someone else committed the murder but she is protecting them so she took the blame."

    "But who would she do that for?" Jean asked.

    Logan sighed. "Do you really have to ask?"

    "Tommy." The Professor sighed. "How did I miss this earlier?"

    "I wouldn't have seen it either."

    "Well, just use Cerebro, find him that way." Scott shrugged. "It shouldn't be hard."

    "No, Tommy isn't a mutant and even though I could use Cerebro to find all humans, I cannot use it to find hybrids."

    "Hybrids?" Logan asked.

    The Professor nodded. "Yes Logan, hybrids. I think you need to talk to your goddaughter again."

*** ***    ***    ***

    Gambrel laughed so hard she was tearing at the eyes. She gathered herself and sat on her bunk. "I am sorry Logan, I just… you just confirmed my thoughts."

    "Oh? And what were they?"

    "That you really don't remember jack about me or Tommy." She shrugged. "Hybrids," she shook her head. "Dad was a mutant, mother was a mutant, and dad was attacked by a vampire and made into one. Tommy and I are half vampires, half mutants. So you see, since the mutant gene is not dominant in Tommy, Cerebro would most likely classify him for a void. It wouldn't pick him up."

    "Would it pick you up?"

    "Yes," she nodded. "It does, but it doesn't matter, I am always here."

    "I can bust you out of here, I can get Kurt-"

    She shook her head. "You are senile. I said I am in here because I _CHOSE_ to protect someone."

    "Who? Tommy?"

    "Like I said, I guess you'll never know."

    "Why protect someone Gambrel. I can get you out of here and into the daylight-"

    "YOU THINK I CAN'T DO THAT FOR MYSELF? YOU THINK I AM A MERE HYBRID!" she whipped her hand back and then forward, a pillar of fire shot out from her hand, through the cell bars and destroyed the wall opposite of her cell. "I can get out of here by myself, but like I said, I choose to stay."

    Logan sighed. "Why won't you tell me?"

    "Because if you truly wanted to know, you would find out for youself."

    Officers came running and gaped at the whole in the wall.

    "That woman did it," Gambrel said pointing. "She's trying to escape and blame it on me!"

    They tackled her, she screamed out in pain as the weight of them crushed her already broken hands. Gambrel laughed as the officer dragged Logan out of the cell.

    "I'll find out why Gambrel! I swear it!" Logan shouted all the way down the hall.

    "Yeah, you'll discover why I am in here, I know you will." She smiled and closed her cell door, which was left open in all the chaos of the large whole.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***

    "We have to find Tommy." Logan said to the Professor.

    "I agree, she said he was in Japan didn't she?"

    "But how will we find him?" Jean asked. "I mean, if we can't use Cerebro, how then?"

    "The old fashion way," Logan said. "We'll look."


	4. Found Brother, Lost Sister

Three Found Brother, Lost Sister 

    Tommy leaned against the alley wall watching the determined man walked the street looking around and smelling the air as if he was dog.    Tommy rolled his eyes; he just knew this man was after him, but not for money or anything like that. This man, he wanted to talk.

    Logan stopped directly across the street from Tommy who slid back a little further into the full shadow. Logan looked in Tommy's direction then strode across the street and stood in front of the shadow.

    Tommy took another step back, but proceeded no more. He looked at the man who seemed vaguely familiar yet a total stranger at the same time.

    "Hey kid." Logan said. "You still running?"

    "Depends on who's asking." Tommy shrugged. "I know you have been following me for a few days now. Why?"

    Logan shrugged. "I know who you are."

    Tommy lashed out in a high kick, but Logan saw it coming and grabbed his ankle. Tommy threw his other leg over the one Logan held, but Logan caught that one as well sending Tommy to the ground on his back.

    "I just want to talk."

    "Look," Tommy said in a worried tone. "That man, he was threatening to kill the gang, to kill me, to kill her."

    "Who?" Logan asked still holding the legs.

    "That guy I killed, his name is-"

    "Not important, but why didn't you go to the police?"

    "Because," Tommy swallowed. "He was the son of the governor." 

    "What happened?"

    "I ran, after I realized that I had really killed him, I ran back home. She was asleep and I didn't mean to wake her. I showered, redressed and ran again. I hid in an alley not too far. I wanted to be able to get to her if another from his gang should try something. But the police got there first and they pulled her out of the building. She was wearing _my_ clothes! They thought _she_ was the killer!" Tommy was crying now, his breathing was labored and he covered his face with his hands. 

    "Then what?" Logan asked, setting Tommy's legs on the ground as he crouched next to him.

    "Well, I ran again, I never stopped running. I thought, if they saw me they might have thought that she had escaped and killed me right on site. So I ran, changed as much of me as I could, and kept running. I send her packages, charms, roses and letters. But I am never in one spot long enough to get a response."

    "Tommy, do you know that she has been in that cell for three years straight?"

    "What?" Tommy looked between his fingers at Logan.

    "They are so afraid of her because they think she is the one who killed that boy, they keep her in that cell 24/7, her cell is her living quarters complete with toilet, sink, shower and no cell mates, and you are telling me that she is in there forever because of you?"

    Tommy nodded. "Yes, and there isn't a day that goes by when I don't beg the lord for his forgiveness."

    Logan stood up. "I don't think the Lord is your redeemer in this problem Tommy."

*** ***    ***    ***    ***

    Gambrel was nodding to sleep, her dreams were fading into life, and her life was fading into dreams. She could see her brother sitting in a rotting apartment scribbling another letter to her asking for forgiveness that she had granted him a couple of years ago. Then the scene changed to the day when Xavier first visited. He sat there in his chair; he had just dismissed Scott to wait outside the cell. He sat there staring up at Gambrel who was watching him from on top her bunk that was chained to the wall. Her head resting on her folded arms, her head inclined as to hear him better.

    "Who are you?" she asked, making the first move and knowing that someday she might regret it.

    "I am Charles Xavier, a professor and founder of the Xavier school for gifted youngsters." Was his reply with a voice serenely soft, yet commanding.

    "What are you doing here? Are you lost?" she sneered at him.

    "No," he smiled, expecting her resistance. "I am here to talk to you Gambrel Lockhart, I knew your parents dearly, they were once at my school."

    Gambrel shook her head. "Look mister, I don't mean to be rude, but if you are here to chat about my parents and my family, I suggest that you leave, I have no interest in them anymore."

    He nodded. "Actually Gambrel, I was thinking more along the lines of talking to the governor and persuading him to let you go to my school where you will be under surveillance everyday, at least that way you'll be able-"

    "Shhhht!" she hissed. "I don't want to." She then had turned away and he had left, but she knew that he'd be back. And he was, for three years now, he made two visits a week, got three packages from his school and was brought books to read.

    She appreciated him for his honor of coming to see her, to talk to her and to give her books and such, but she also resented him, he knew to much about her, he knew she couldn't have killed that man… and he never gave up on asking her about it either.

    Then one day he came in talking about a new face at his school. His name was Logan, he came in with a girl named Rogue, and Charles explained that this was the exact same Logan who was her Godfather. He explained everything that was happening, his search for his old friend Eric Lehnsherr. Then he didn't come in when he usually did and she got worried, later she discovered that Eric had a plan to turn everyone in NYC into a mutant!

    She laughed at the absurdity of it at first, and then he explained how Eric was going to do it. Transfer his powers into Rogue- but Logan risked his life saving Rogue, nearly dying when he left his imprint on her using her powers of absorbing… Gambrel turned away with a new hate in her body, a hate that lasted to this very moment. In her dreams she tensed with rage, in her cell she shot up screaming in a blind rage. 

    Her eyes snapped opened, there was someone standing outside of the whole she made in the wall. She squinted, no, he was standing he was floating! She jumped out of bed and pressed her body to the bars holding her in.

    "Hello Gambrel," the man said in a voice that sounded Polish? Jewish?

    "Who are you?"

    "Just a friend of a friend of yours."

    She shook her head. "I know you," she backed up. "You're Eric Lehnsherr aren't you?"

    "My, my, you are a smart one aren't you?" he flicked his wrist and the door bars bended and snapped out of place. They wrapped themselves around her and carried her to his side.

    "What do you want?" she demanded trying to struggle free of the bars.

    "You'll find out soon." He smiled and they took off.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***

    Logan was smiling as he approached the prison, but an absence of scent made him stop and take another whiff. Professor Xavier looked up at him.

    "Logan," he gasped. "Gambrel,"

    Tommy, who was flanked by Logan and Scott, looked around. "What about her?"

    Before anyone could say anything Logan had broken into a run toward the guard in his station booth.

    "Sorry sir," he said in a crisp British accent. "No visitors today, there's been an escape." The officer seemed a little thrilled. "A lifer broke straight through the cell bars and vanished!"

    "Gambrel!" Tommy shouted trying to run into the prison. 

    Logan grabbed the boy and dragged him to the ground. "Professor?"

    The professor had his eyes closed as if he was disappointed, but Logan knew he was scanning the minds of the officers inside.

    "She is gone," he said calmly. "Let's head back to the mansion."

*** ***    ***    ***    ***

    "It's all over the news professor, warnings of a murderer on the loose, but," Scott shook his head. "She didn't want out of there, and if she did escape, she did she get out? She couldn't have flown could she?"

    "No," the professor shook his head. "She wouldn't have even tried to escape. She was in there with the sole purpose of serving out a sentence for Tommy. She didn't leave on her own free will."

    "Are you suggesting someone took her?" Logan asked. "I mean, who would take her?"

    "I don't know," the professor sighed. "Who? Why?" 

    Tommy sat outside on the fountains edge watching the moons reflection. Three shades until full, he told himself. "Three night until her powers peak."

    Jean patted his shoulder. "Want a brownie? Your sister loves them."

    Tommy took it, smiling up at Jean. "You are very beautiful."

    Jean blushed. "Thank you,"

    "Like an angel." He ate the brownie. "This is good," he sighed. "Who would steal my sister?" his face crumbled as much as he tried to keep it composed. "What did she ever do?"

    Jean put her arms over his slim shoulders. "I'm sure it is going to be alright Tommy," she cooed. "They'll find her before anything can happen to her, I promise."

    He nodded. "Yeah, I'll hold you to that."


	5. Fire Fire

Four Fire Fire 

    She sauntered out of the large bathroom toweling out her hair. Her body was wrapped in a large black towel as she walked into the bedroom where Magneto was waiting for her at a desk. He smiled and turned to face her.

    "Gambrel, have a nice shower?"

    She smiled and threw the towel she was using to dry her hair back into the bathroom. 

    He pointed to a small box on the bed. "There are some clothes for you in there, when you're dressed come on down for something to eat." He smiled again and left, closing the thick door behind him.

    She surveyed the room… it was a stone box with one circular window and two doors, one that lead to the hallways that lead to the rest of the house, and one that lead to the bathroom. She ripped open the box and starred at its contents.

    "No bad," she smirked. "Not bad at all."

    She came down the marble steps slowly listening intently for anyone other then Magneto. She peeked into the dining room and saw no one, she moved on to the living room where he sat in a high back chair reading the paper.

    He looked up just as she walked in wearing black jeans that were tucked into her combat boots, a baggy black tang top that covered her lean and masculine torso and hips. She had cut her hair again; it was shaved in the back, from the base of her neck up three inches, what remained fell around her face in a V shape cut. She wore narrow black shades that wrapped around her eyes and seemed to float in place.

    He smiled at her. "Her you go," he handed her a plate of chicken strips covered in cheese and a coke.

    She sat on the leather couch and dug in, eating greedily and swiftly. "Shit," she muttered between bites. "This is good!"

    He chuckled and went back to reading.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***    ***

    Professor Xavier was using Cerebro to locate Gambrel. He found her signal on the west coast in a beach side villa. After telling Storm and Jean they readied the _Blackbird_ and soon Storm, Jean, Scott, Logan, Rogue and Kurt were on their way to battle Magneto and rescue Gambrel… or, so they thought.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***    ***

    Gambrel stopped in mid-bite, her eyes searched around, her ears pricked for anything.

    "What is it?" Eric asked.

    "Cerebro." She whispered.

    "What?"

    She smiled and took her bite. "The Professor found me." She chuckled.

    Just then John Allardyce sprung from a trap door behind Gambrel and attacked. She jumped out of her seat and spun to face him but was greeted instead by a fireball. It collided with her face, but did nothing. She pulled it off and held it in her hand glaring at John with a malice that equaled Logan's berserk rage.

    John stood there gazing at her trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Then she threw it at him, knocking him in the face sending him to the ground, and then it died out. John jumped up and searched his pockets for his lighter, but to his amazement, Gambrel was holding it up.

    She smiled evilly and chucked it at the widow, it crashed through the windowpane and disappeared. He made moved toward the window, but she slammed her hand on his chest at the base of his collarbones. He looked down; surprised to feel the explosion heat inside him… her fingers had cut into him and she was fire casting into his body. He shouted and ripped himself away from her. She dropped to the ground and lashed her leg out in a sweep kick landing him on his back. Then she crouched to a knee and grabbed his shirt collar and was ready to hit him when Eric grabbed her fist and shook his head.

    "No, he was just testing you."

    She looked down at John with a glare that would part the Red Sea, then got up and kicked him in the side for added reference.

    "Don't attack me again boy, I won't be stopped by an old man next time." She shot a glare at Eric then rounded on her heels and strode toward the door. "I am so outta here."

    "Where will you go?" Eric demanded. "You owe your freedom to me."

    "No I don't!" she hissed. "I didn't want out of there in the first place! I'll get you for that Eric, though I do thank you for the clothes and the food, it is better then I could have imagined."

    The door slammed behind her and she looked out at the horizon. The sun was close to setting, she didn't know where she was, this certainly wasn't anywhere near the east coast anymore. She climbed to the top of a jutted hill and sat down starred out at the sun set. She looked around the ground but saw only dirt and clumps of grass. She thought for a moment, thinking how nice it would be to have a cigarette. 

    The sun disappeared; she stood up and looked in the valley below. There was a small town of humble establishments. She figured, since she was a criminal on the run from the government, stealing a few smokes and maybe a good coat wouldn't be anything compared to what charges settled in her record. She smiled with her new thoughts and trotted down the steep slope to find something to do.

    The gas station was about a ways outside of the main town, after determining there was only the manager inside she started a fire in the back. He ran out to tend to it and as he did so she walked in, snagged a couple of packs of Marlboros and a lighter and strolled out and out of sight before the manager returned. 

    The humble town was busy with some kind of tournament going on at the rodeo grounds. She stealthily made her way to an All-n-One store and slipped in without triggering the alarm. She lit a fireball in her hand for some light and looked around and soon came upon a trench coat she liked. It looked like the one Neo wore from the movie _The Matrix Reloaded_. She pulled it on and looked down at herself, its color was jet black; the bottom of the coat lightly brushed the toes of her boots. She smiled and slipped the cigarettes in the pocket.

    She stepped outside again, lighting a cigarette and looking around for anything else she might need done. With nothing in mind she shoved her hands into her pockets and began a long trudge down the roads.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***

    Logan was the first to invade the villa, only John was there attending his wounds he received from Gambrel.

    "Where's Gambrel?" Logan demanded as the others did a quick thorough search of the place.

    "She left a couple of hours ago Logan." He said pouring hydrogen peroxide on his chest for the eighth time. 

    "No one's here," Rogue said jogging back into the room. "It's all empty."

    "You talking about metal head?" John asked. "He bailed about an hour ago leaving me here because I couldn't move to well, the bastard."

    "What happened to you?" Jean asked.

    John starred at her then went back to his chest. "Magneto told me I was suppose to test Gambrel, to see if she was as good a fighter as he had heard. He said anything went, so I attacked her, and she got the best of me, she can fire cast, create it where I can only manipulate It." he hissed. "And he knew that and he still made me fight her. Then after I was incapacitate he left me… I don't know where the asshole went."

    Logan walked off whiffing the air. He could smell her, but the scent was weak, she had been here, she had eaten, fought and left.

    "We have to find her." Logan declared.

    "No kidding." Storm said and they left. Jean was helping John back into the _Blackbird_.

    "Wait, why are we taking him?" Logan asked.

    John glared at him.

    "Professor Xavier believes in second chances Logan, so should you." Jean said.

    He grunted in disapproval but said no more.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***    ***

    Gambrel was walking the deserted highway heading east. Rapping a song by P.O.D. called _Youth of the Nation_ when a blue car speeded past her. It slammed on its breaks and backed up. She watched it for a while as it was backing up slowly then stopped at her side.

    The black window went down and an angular face smiled at her. "Need a ride sweet pea?"

    Gambrel looked around. "No."

    "Ah, come on, let me give you a ride, I can take you anywhere you want to go."

    "Are you hitting on me?" she asked with a smoldering smile.

    "Perhaps," he smiled back.

    "Well, I'm sorry," she cooed. "I just don't think you could satisfy me."

    "I'm sure I could,"

    "I love it long, hard and rough."

    "I am pretty long, I'd surprise you."

    She flicked her lit cigarette onto his lap and he looked down at it. "Are you hot?" she winked and it burst into flames. He screamed and tried to wipe it off, Gambrel laughed like a maniac and strolled away. A strong wind rushed through, she looked up and saw thunderheads forming. "Damn," she muttered and headed back into the small mountains for some shelter.

    Logan leaned against the _Blackbird_ sighing and shaking his head. A wind rushed past him, he took a whiff out of habit and jumped. "She's near!"

    Jean and Storm came running to the hatch.

    "I caught a scent! Coming from the east! She's out there somewhere!"

    Jean nodded at Storm who returned to the control panel and started the _Blackbird_ up. Soon they off, flying low and slow with the hatch open with Logan leaning out looking and smelling.


	6. Amazing Facts Revealed

Five Amazing Facts Revealed 

    Gambrel lay huddled in the back of a small cave. Her arms served as pillows, her legs drawn up to capture warmth. The rain smell refreshing and its coldness washed away thoughts, sending her into a long and blissful sleep.

    Her mind was wake and alert to the new presence before her eyes ever opened. Someone was crouching beside her starting a small fire and cooking what looked like a can of stewed tomatoes.

    "Who are you?" Gambrel asked.

    The figure turned and looked over her shoulder. Gambrel starred at the person, definitely female, but the black hair was short and spiky like man's haircut, the person's skin was a deep indigo blue with weird markings over the surface and her eyes were yellow with red irises and the black pupils were slits that swallowed the weak light and reflected it like a natural night vision. 

    The stranger said nothing but did move to the other side of the fire.

    "Sorry," Gambrel said. "Hello."

    "Hello yourself and see how you like It." the person said. "I'm Oz, you're Wolverine's child aren't you?"

    "What?" she hissed in disbelief. "No! He's my Godfather."

    "Funny, you two-"

    Just then there was the sound of gunfire and a helicopter. Oz did a sweep kick, knocking the fire into the heavy rain, putting it out immediately. She threw herself into the back wall next to Gambrel and looked ready to fight.

    "Who's that?" Gambrel whispered.

    "I don't know," she said. "But they've been following me for a month now, I am fucking sick of it, I didn't do anything." She said back in a hoarse whisper. 

    "What are you doing here anyways?"

    "I was looking for a place to cook my food, this was the only place I found, so I set fire, I didn't mean to wake you." Oz said still looking toward the mouth of the cave and the heavy rain.

    The rain reduce visibility, they wouldn't have seen anything unless it was a foot away from the mouth of the cave, and even then, the cave wasn't big enough to maneuver in. Oz knew this, she also knew that the type of rock she was hiding under was thick enough to not give off a heat reading to anything airplane or satellite overhead. If they really wanted her they would have to come down and get her.

    "Um, Oz, who are you?" Gambrel asked.

    "Shhhht." Oz said pricking her pointed ears and inclining her head a bit to hear, but she only heard the rain. "Oh God, how stupid was that?" she said mostly to herself. "To build a fire so close to the mouth of the cave." She shook her head. "Maybe they thought it was just an animal, maybe they left-"

    More gunfire, this time bullets entered the cave and ricocheted off the walls. Oz spun around and wrapped her tail around Gambrel's wrist just as the _Blackbird_ flew close by and Storm attacked the opposing helicopter making the storm to harsh and the helicopter had to return to a landing field.

    Gambrel had only blinked and she was in a totally new location. A hotel hallway, Oz had transformed into her human form yet the marking bore out in an indigo color looking like tattoos.

    "Where are we?" Gambrel asked.

    "We're at a friend's place, we'll stay here tonight, then we can leave, you can go if you want, or you can tag along with me."

    "Why would I want to do that?"

    "I'm not saying you have to, it's just, back in that cave, you looked like you had nowhere to go, nothing to live for… I've traveled the world, and I have only one place I can really think about to go back to."

    "And where's that?"

    Oz smiled and knocked on a door. "Well, it's certainly not here." 

    The door opened and a petite woman answered the door. She wore a leather mini-skirt and a tube top. Her sandy hair was pulled into pigtails; she wore purple lipstick and purple eye shadow.

    "Oz," she smiled gingerly. "I thought I said I never wanted to see you again."

    "I love you too Violet." Oz smiled. "This is…" she turned to Gambrel.

    "Gambrel," Gambrel nodded. "Nice to meet you."

    "I'm sorry Oz, I don't do women anymore."

    Gambrel starred at her. "Excuse me?"

    Oz shook her head. "We're not here for that,"

    "Oh, but I wouldn't mind doing you-"

    "No Violet, I told you, I am not into that… stuff." She gulped. "Besides I thought your deal was men."

    "Well, you know, I'm flexible." Violet smiled stepping aside and letting them both in. "So what brings you back to my humble leBeau?"

    Oz shrugged. "The same thing that brought me here in the first place."

    "Someone's after you?"

    "Dead on," she smiled heading into the living room and sat on a couch. 

    "And her?" Violet smiled at Gambrel.

    "Accidentally dragged in." 

    "Accidentally or…" Violet trailed off when she saw the look Oz was shooting at her. "Okay, okay, what do you need?"

    "Do you still have that motorcycle I left here?"

    "No I sold it to get implants."

    Gambrel snorted. "Excuse me?"

    Violet looked over at her. "Uh, Oz didn't tell you?"

    "I told you Violet, she was brought into this accidentally."

    Gambrel nodded.

    "Look," Oz continued. "Is it here or did you really sell it to buy… those." Oz pointed at Violet's tits.

    "Well, I had to buy them with something." Violet shot.

    "VIOLET!" Oz jumped up. "That was my prize motorcycle!"

    "Chill out, I was just kidding! It's on the balcony."

    "Oh," Oz stepped back. "How'd you get it there?"

    "I asked one of my boyfriends to move it up there to shield it against the rain."

    "Wow,"

    "Don't say that."

    "Thanks Violet."

    Violet smiled and turned to Gambrel. "I'm a man."

    "What?" Gambrel starred at her.

    "I'm a guy."

    "But," Gambrel's eyes looked at a rather convincing rack.

    "Implants," Violet dismissed and lifted her mini-skirt revealing much more then Gambrel wanted to see.

    Oz burst out laughing and went to get her cycle. When she came back walking the cycle to the front door she looked over and saw Gambrel covering her eyes and shaking her head.

    "Hey, Hon, sorry," Violet smiled. "Didn't mean to offend you or anything."

    Gambrel muttered.

    "Can we crash here tonight Violet?" Oz asked. "I'll be gone by sun rise."

    "Sure, what about your little friend here?"

    "I don't know." Oz said setting her cycle on its stand right against the door. "What _are_ you going to do Gambrel?"

    "I'll tag with you for a bit." She said with a sigh. "And, uh, Violet, please don't ever lift your front side to me again."

    Violet laughed. "I just need to prove I am a man."

    Gambrel shook her head. "That's just not right."

    Violet shrugged and left. "The shower is open tonight, I'm not going anywhere, and this is my night off."

    "Thanks." Oz shouted to her.

    "You know where the blankets are Oz, good night."

    Oz yawned. "Night Violet."

    Gambrel looked over at Oz. "So where are you going anyways?"

    "I'm heading out East, to a nice little place in the country that I'm sure you'll like, the people are okay if they get around to accepting you, you really do have to be open to them though. I know that now." Oz said with a hint of regret. "I probably should have never left that place, I don't know what was wrong with me back then."

    "When's back then?"

    "Oh, sometime ago." Oz smiled. "A lot can happen in just a mater of months."

    "Yes, a lot indeed."

    "I left that place, everyone thought I had been killed, but I had just teleported out of the coffin."

    "Oh," Gambrel nodded. Xavier had told her about this woman, left with Logan and Kurt to Hawaii but then sent them back to the mansion and she left, trying to find her place in the world.

    "Things don't always turn out the way you plan them too you know?"

    "I do," she nodded.

    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***

    Logan shook his head. "I smell Oz." He said confused as they stood in the small cave.

    "Oz?" Scott asked. "OZ is dead."

    "Oz?" Jak asked shocked. "Dead? Wait, what does Oz have to do with this?"

    "You knew her? You knew Oz?" Logan asked.

    "Yeah, we lived in Albuquerque together."

    "Well, she's here, and she's alive."

    Kurt perked up. "Really?" he looked at Logan. "She was here?"

    "Wait!" Scott shook his head. "Oz is dead, I saw it myself."

    "Dead? You can't kill Oz," Jak nearly laughed.

    "You saw a body in a coffin," Logan sneered. "She teleported out of there and left on her own… quest."

    Kurt was dancing. "She's back!"

    "She's immortal," Jak muttered, thinking no one heard it.

    "But where has she gotten to now?" Logan asked looking at Jak about his last remark.

*** ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    ***    *** 

    "There's something different about you Gambrel, it puts you separate from every other mutant I've ever seen. What is it?"

    They were speeding down a desert highway at ninety; they wore no helmets, because Oz owned none.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I don't know, its that way you move, they way you are, you're whole being is screaming… different, even with the mutant gene which I know you have, you are still different."

    "Well what do you think it is?" Gambrel asked not really wanting to talk about her DNA.

    "Well, I don't know." She looked down at her watch, it was half past eleven and her stomach was demanding food. She looked down at her fuel gage, she was running on a quarter tank, might as well fill up. She thought and smiled when she spotted a diner in the desert stretch of nothingness.

    They stopped and filled the gas tank then moved into the diner. Oz ordered tomato soup while Gambrel ordered just a glass of water and a slice of toast.

    Oz shrugged. "So,"

    "So,"

    Oz sighed. "Okay, earlier, when we met, you said Logan was your god father."

    "He is," Gambrel nodded.

    "No, he's not." Oz shook her head. "I can smell it in you, he's your father."

    "Godfather!"

    "No!" Oz nearly slammed the table, claws extended out quickly, but they retraced quicker still. 

    Gambrel starred down at her. 

    "Gambrel, I can smell it in you, the same blood that runs through his vein runs through yours, he probably doesn't even know it, you are his child, you are his daughter."

    "But my twin-"

    "Then they are too. Logan is you father."

    Gambrel merely blinked in shock.


End file.
